2012
by Genne
Summary: Martha asks to go see the Olympics. The Doctor takes her, but doesn't join her. He goes for his own reasons. To watch a day in his own past...


**Disclaimer: No, I actually own everything. Including the sonic screwdriver and Cpt. Jacks left buttock. **

Martha watched the Doctor quietly as she walked into the control room. For the first time he wasn't fiddling with the controls aimlessly. Martha smiled, he was reading a magazine. He suddenly flipped it upside-down (or was it right side-up?) and tore a page out. Smiling happily, the Doctor threw the rest of the magazine over his shoulder and looked up at her.

"Look! We made the best dressed list on Planet Krypton!" He held the ripped page out for her to see. Sure enough, there was a picture of her and the doctor. But the writing made no sense.

"What's it say?" she said standing next to him. She had been excited enough simply by the thought of Superman's home planet being a reality but going there had taken excitement to a whole new level for her. The Doctor pushed his glasses father up his nose and read.

"Krypton's fashion hype grew with the arrival of our guests, the Doctor and his lovely companion, Martha (above and right). Blah blah blah… ah! The season's hottest colors, red and blue!" he grinned and handed the page back to her. Martha continued to looked at him. "And..?" she asked. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"And what? You were wearing red, me blue. What more explanation do you need?" he gave her the 'Duh' expression. Martha hated the 'Duh' face. "So what? Are you telling me that Superman's costume was inspired by us?"

The Doctor's face went from 'Duh' to 'Course not' in a span of seconds. "No. The Kent's made him his pajama suit, nothing to do with Krypton whatsoever."

Martha sighed. "Then what's the big deal?"

"We just made the fashion column in an alien magazine!" Martha raised an eye-brow.

"Not like it was difficult, they all were walking around in tin-foil." The Doctor threw his arms up in a mock of frustration. "I give up! So, where to next Martha Jones?"

Martha loved it when he was like this, excited and sarcastic. "How about instead of going somewhere… we just go sometime. You know, back on earth. Go witness some great event or something."

"Oooh! Lovely, how about the first open heart surgery? How's that for our medical student? Eh?" he quickly began hopping around the controls madly. "Or would you rather future? We can see watch the cure for the common cold being discovered! Although, I must say, it took you humans an awfully long time… what?"

"Nothing." Martha said quickly. "I was just thinking maybe something a little closer."

"Oh. All-right. What didja' have in mind?" His happy-bounce and slowed slightly. "But no life-altering trips!" he added quickly.

Martha grinned. "Well, it's nothing like that really… it's just, my dad had promised to take me and my brother to the Olympics a few years ago. But then he and Mum split before we could go, so we had to cancel. And then he promised he'd take us when the Olympics were held in England..." Martha stopped and smiled apologetically.

The Doctor blinked. "Sooooo, do you want to attend the Olympics you missed or the one that's held in England?"

Martha grinned, "Surprise me."

&&&

Martha stepped out of the Tardis with the Doctor narrating behind her. "The year is 2012, London. Now the reason I'm taking you here is because if you do end up going with your dad, you're going to disappear for a few hours."

Martha's head whipped around suddenly. "What? Why?"

The Doctor waved a hand dismissively. "Alien stuff. Every one sitting in the Olympic stadium vanishes for a bit. Nothing to worry about, it all gets sorted out soon enough."

He looked down at his current companion. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"What? Aren't you coming with me?" she asked, confused.

"Naaah, got some stuff I need to see to. Just go find a place to watch and meet me back at the Tardis tonight." he began to walk off but was stopped by Martha pulling on the back of his coat and turning him around to face her.

"You cant just leave me and wonder off!"

"You're right. I'll take you straight to the action but not directly in the stadium. How does that sound?"

About half an hour later Martha found herself placed in the care of a news anchor near the stadium. She looked around at the Doctor, excited and content. "Now don't go too far." He reprimanded.

"Yes, Doctor."

"And make sure that you head back to the Tardis as soon as the Olympic torch is lit."

"Of course Doctor."

"Oh, and if you see me anywhere, don't go up to me unless I call you by name."

"Right… why exactly?"

"Well who else do you think is sorting out the alien problem?"

"So you're here already?" she asked in an undertone.

"Yep. But I haven't met you yet so don't disrupt history. Got it? Good. Now, enjoy yourself, be good. See you later." And he dashed off without another word. Martha shook her head and turned her head back to the monitor to watch the opening of the 2012 Olympics. She sighed, he wasn't telling her something and she knew it.

&&&&

The Doctor walked slowly up town. He had to take a small turn to the left and stay out of sight. He tried to ignore the nagging feeling at the back of his mind. The feeling that kept flashing the disappointed look that Martha would have if she knew why he honestly took her here so readily and it also reminded him about the way the Tardis both seemed to bleep beneath his fingers with nostalgia but also with pity as he set the coordinates with enthusiasm. Pity.

Because the Tardis knew. She knew him all too well.

He shook his head and stepped behind a car. There, down the street, stood Rose… and himself. He watched as they read the 'missing' sign on the wall. He knew that he could watch this scene more than once, but it would never be the same. The same as holding her hand as his past self was doing right before him. The same as hugging her tightly … he ducked quickly as they walked past. He noticed past self pause briefly and look around. The Doctor ducked lower, he was sensing his own presence. But Rose tugged at his hand and smiled her lovely, wide and happy smile. The former Doctor smiled back and walked on, hand in hand with his Rose. _His_ Rose. The spying Doctor waited until they had walked on and then decided to follow, but from higher ground. For now, he would content himself with watching her. And watch her he did.

&&&

His breath caught in his throat as he watched Rose getting attacked by the scribble creature. His past self rushed up and helped her, then embraced her in a bone-crushing hug. Suddenly his arms felt empty. He rubbed his chest slowly, it was sore. They gathered the 'scribble specimen' and headed back to the Tardis with the ghost of the future following. While the past Doctor seemed overly inversed in the little mound of lead, the future Doctor sat on a rooftop as they walked by and… wait. A grin spread across his face. While his past self placed the scribble in his pocket Rose appeared, no, she _definitely_ checked out his bum. They stepped into the Tardis, leaving a now rather big-headed Doctor outside, smiling to himself for finding a new memory within an old one.

&&&&

His past self had disappeared along with the Tardis. Rose was now running about as fast as she could. In and out of the house, up and down the road. She looked distressed but determined. Oh, how he longed to run up to her and help her, to hold her. But he stayed put, observing.

Then she did it. She ran out of the house and began pounding and the cement. The Doctor smiled, that was his Rose. Even as the pavement man yelled at her for 'destroying a council road' she continued to clobber the ground then shoved her fingers into the small pile. She quickly grabbed a small metal capsule. The Pod, she'd founded faster than he'd thought she had. But Rose Tyler would always surprise him, even in events that had already come to pass.

Rose charged back into the house, only to reappear moments later. She made her way through the crowd, trying to get to the torch. The Doctor found himself clenching his fists and waiting with bated breath. In a blink of an eye, she whispered into her palms and then threw it into the air. The Doctor's mouth became a thin line as he watched the pod soar through the air and…yes! It landed! Right into the torch! Rose was hugging the pavement man and screaming in triumph. The Doctor couldn't help but feel just a little twist in his stomach. He knew that if he had re-appeared at that spot that she would have hugged him. And that made him miss the lost embrace even more.

Just as the Doctor began to come closer, right behind the house opposite to where she was standing, she rushed back to the door. The Doctor looked up, alarmed. The upstairs window was glowing red. She'd never mentioned it to him afterwards. Rose was yelling and banging at the door. And all he could do was watch. Quick, while her back was still turned, he ran across the road and stood next door. "Chloe sing!!" she yelled as she pounded a fist against the door. A minute passed and Rose turned around with a sigh of relief and slid down the door frame. "Maybe he's gone somewhere." The pavement man said. They were talking about him. The Doctor craned his neck a bit to get a clearer view of Rose's face. She rubbed her hands lightly together and looked heartbroken. "Who's going to hold his hand now?" she said sadly, her glaze flickering between her hands and the man standing before her. The Doctor rested his head on the wall behind him and closed his eyes. The tone in her voice was temptation enough for him to stay and listen to her mourn forever. So he walked away.

&&&&

On his way back to the Tardis he spotted them again. She was handing him cake. Edible ball-bearing cake. He was never able to eat it again. They were closer this time, he could hear them clearly. Watch them and try to imagine himself in his past self's place. Rose Tyler clinging to his arm, smiling and happy, but blissfully ignorant of what was to come.

"They keep trying to pull us apart but they never ever will." The Doctor felt hot tears well up in his eyes. Why couldn't she have been right? But his past self had sensed what he was sensing. "Never say never ever." He'd said bluntly. She seemed doubtful. The current Doctor stopped following so that he could rub his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to stop his former self from saying the next few words.

"There's something in the air."

There. Right then and there he knew something wasn't right. "A storm's approaching." That was all he could take, the Doctor turned swiftly as his past self gave Rose a dismissive smile. She smiled back but clung tighter to his arm.

&&&&

The Doctor walked back to the Tardis, rubbing his eyes as he went. He couldn't explain it, but he _had_ felt something, something foreboding. He'd known that the Beast had spoken some truths but he shoved it to the back of his mind at the time. He didn't want to think about it. He just kept jumping from place to place with Rose as fast as he could… enjoying every second. And trying to forget.

But here he was, doing the total opposite of what he usually does, running back to the ghosts of his past. The most beautiful and haunting ghost of all. Just as he placed the Tardis key in the lock he spotted Martha walking towards him trying not to look directly at him. He stood confused for a moment before his own advice hit home. "Martha Jones!" Martha smiled and ran towards him.

"Oh my God!" she screamed, enthusiasm running through her. "I saw you! You carried the Torch! That was brilliant! And all those people! Just ---poof! One go!" she hooked her arm though his and continued to talk. The Doctor just smiled a small smile. "How did you do it? How did you bring them back?"

The Doctor's smile faltered briefly. He quickly opened the Tardis door and stepped inside. "Well?" Oh, she was in one of _those_ moods. "Long, long story." He said wearily. "You need some sleep, tomorrow we're landing in Cardiff."

"Cardiff?"

"Yep, now, off to bed." He waved at her, and called after her as she walked down the corridor to her room. "Nighty night!"

"Whatever." She said curtly and walked away. The Doctor barley noticed.

&&&&

Martha Jones wasn't stupid. She wasn't thick or slow. And she knew, as soon as they stepped into the Tardis and she could see his face, she knew that something had happened. But he brushed her off as soon as she asked a simple question. So she didn't press him any further… she didn't ask why there were red rims around his eyes. She didn't ask why he had that haunted, hollow look on his face.

Because she knew.

Martha Jones let her tears fall as she entered her room. She lay down upon her bed and cried. She cried for herself. And she cried for the Doctor. If he wasn't going to tell her the details then she wasn't going to shove. She wasn't so sure if she really wanted to know anymore. Want to know about _her_. Martha's tears stilled slightly as a soft humming made it's way to her. And she smiled. For the first time since she'd boarded, she finally believed (if even for the briefest moment) that the Tardis was alive. Because she was singing Martha to sleep.

**Author's note: yes it was my first Doctor who fanfic! How could tell?? Thanks for reading. Review if you want to get a glimpse of the Doctors sonic screwdriver. **


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